Harbhajan Singh was banned and fined by the BCCI for slapping Sreesanth in IPL 2008.
The video showing Harbhajan Singh slapping former India pacer S. Sreesanth after the 2008 IPL match between the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) was first shown by Modi, the man behind the Indian Premier League, during an interview on Michael Clarke's podcast, "Beyond 23," last week.
The actual footage of the slap was not shown on TV, as the broadcasters had cut for commercials, and the viewers at home only saw Sreesanth crying and being consoled by his teammates.
However, the video shown by Lalit Modi clearly shows Harbhajan Singh landing a backhanded slap on Sreesanth’s face during handshakes. Both players then get into each other’s faces, only for teammates to separate them.
At the recent Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Harbhajan was asked how he felt about the video being released to the public and fans learning the details of what transpired between him and Sreesanth.
“The way the video has been leaked it's wrong. It shouldn't have happened. They might have a selfish motive behind it. Something that happened 18 years ago—people have forgotten, and they are reminding people about it.
I feel bad about whatever happened. We were playing, and everyone had things going on in their mind. Mistakes happened, and we do feel ashamed about it,” Harbhajan Singh told Instant Bollywood.
The former Indian spinner once again apologized for his actions, saying he made a mistake.
“Yes, the video has gone viral. It was an unfortunate incident, and I have said on many occasions that I made a mistake. Humans make mistakes, and I did one too. I have requested Lord Ganesh to forgive me if I make a mistake again. Mistakes happen,” said Harbhajan.
The BCCI and the IPL organizing committee were not pleased with the slapgate event, and Harbhajan was suspended for 11 games. Due to his conviction for violating the code of conduct, he also forfeited his fees.